


Ear to ear

by sam (codexumbra)



Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-28 04:20:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20057917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/codexumbra/pseuds/sam
Summary: Wilson manages to make Maxwell laugh.It hits him like a pound of bricks.





	Ear to ear

Making Maxwell Carter laugh was not easy. You could be a world renowned comedian and Maxwell would barely give you the time of day to make jokes in front of him, let alone laugh at them. When asked about it, he said that comedy was manipulative of the human emotion and was simply "low-hanging fruit". Anyone can be funny; it doesn't take skill. At the beginning of his stay with his fellow survivors, he would chide those who made jokes of their situation. He stopped this when Winona railed him about the fact that he was the one who brought them all here in the first place and that the group had a right to make light of it. Out of fear, he agreed with her. But the true validity of her words seemed to settle with him over time as he had completely stopped so much as glaring at those who made jokes soon after.

Wilson thought about this as he and Maxwell travelled through the damp ground of the recently rained on forest biome. Pushing their way through the thick brush of the trees, both men kept their words to themselves. The tension between the two of them was still high, understandably. Wilson seemed to make his footsteps just a little louder and a little more "stompy" around the taller man while Maxwell combated this by huffing on cigars as close to him as he could get without it looking purposeful. This time, though, Maxwell was not smoking. He simply looked at the surroundings and took in the spring smells. Wilson faked doing the same, but every now and then he'd glance up at Maxwell. He looked oddly peaceful. He must be planning _something_. "What're you thinking about?" Wilson spoke, breaking the silence. Maxwell simply flared his nostrils and huffed. "My silence isn't a sign of me cooking up an evil plan, Higgsbury. Now turn around and mind your own." Maxwell simply fixated his gaze on the thickening forest. Wilson crossed his arms for a second before he had to move their placement to push himself through the trees. "I don't have to "mind my own" at all, Maxwell. I have a right to be suspicious, I think. You did try to kill me, after all.." he hummed with a passive aggression behind his voice, making Maxwell scrunch up his brow. Before he could spit something that would most definitely start an argument between them, WIlson's foot was caught on something and, all too fast, he tripped. Letting out a shrill squeak before falling, he had just barely garnered Maxwell's attention before he found himself on the floor.

"Are you- UGH!" a flustered red moved to his cheeks immediately as the weight of his situation hit him. It wasn't that the trip was all that bad, really. It would barely leave him with a scraped up ankle. The problem arose when he took in the effect of what had just happened. A trip typically wouldn't be that bad. Everyone had tripped before. He had seen Webber trip. Wendy, too. Wickerbottom and Wigfrid, Wes and Willow. Everyone.

Everyone besides Maxwell, that is.

The man was disgustingly lanky. Not that it looked alien or odd, but in the way that Wilson had never seen a man so tall in all of his days. He was a shut in, truth be told, but he did leave the house when necessary and even in the busiest parts of the city, he had NEVER seen someone Maxwell's size. It was safe to say he was 2 Wilson's high. A Wigfrid and a half. A Wes and 3 quarters. He was a looming figure; a man to be respected. One of authority. Wilson could yap about how he was old and bossy till' the cows came home, but a part of him felt the need to be respected by the man that loomed next to him, with his strikingly sharp jawline and his defined, handsome features. He admitted these things to himself in his fit of frustrated embarrassment.

Wilson's thoughts were interrupted by a muffled snort. He looked around in a panic until his eyes landed on the man next to him who was looking down at him and he furrowed his eyebrows until he saw Maxwell's expression. Light and harmless, he had a shadow-darkened hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking slightly. Before Wilson could question him, he dropped his hand from his mouth and burst out into laughter. Genuine, true laughter. Wilson's mouth fell agape and his embarrassment ceased. Hands and knees in the dirt, body pressed to the ground and eyes full of wonder, he stared. And Maxwell just kept laughing. His darkened skin suppressed the red that was very obviously flowing to his cheeks. Tears pricked his eyes. Wilson had never been so happy to have made a mistake.

The fluttering in his chest bubbled up. His embarrassment turned to joy. He started to laugh as well, starting out quiet before moving into rolling laughs that mimicked Maxwell's. And soon, they were both crying. Maxwell had plopped himself onto the ground and was seated next to Wilson while the scientist, like a wounded bird, stayed on the ground.

It wasn't talked about again. They stayed there and laughed for what felt like hours. At the end, Maxwell had laid back onto the tampered earth and Wilson had moved to bury his face into his thigh. They didn't sit and have a conversation. WIlson moved his head and Maxwell stood up. The scientist was ready to push himself up off the ground, but Maxwell reached a hand down to him. And Wilson took it.

Wilson respected the silent agreement that they were never to talk about what happened.

Nevertheless, he hoped he'd trip again. Fumble over his words, maybe. Knock something over. As long as Maxwell's the only one looking.


End file.
